Making no-smoking rules WORK in Affordable Housing

1. Making no-smoking rules WORKin Affordable Housing

2. Today we’ll talk about • Trends • Why safe & healthy housing should not be a luxury • Steps and tools to implement a no-smoking policy • Understanding tobacco addiction

3. Smoking: The world has changed In 1965, 1/2 of adult men and 1/3 of women in the US smoked and they did it: • At work • On airplanes • During college classes • In hotels and theatres • In restaurants, bars and taverns • In their homes and • In their beds

4. Present Day • Most workplaces are smokefree • 85% of homes in Oregon and 87% in Washington have a no-smoking rule • People expect smoke-free air where they work and where they live

5. What we know about SECONDHAND SMOKE There is no safe level of exposure to SHS: “The scientific evidence is now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults.” U.S. Surgeon General, 2006

6. Children living in buildings where smoking is allowed… Have higher levels of nicotine markers in their blood. • SHS can seep into apartments where no one smokes through shared walls, ventilation systems and ductwork. • SHS is absorbed into furniture, carpets, curtains, clothing, toys, etc that children come into contact with and put in their mouths.

7. Secondhand smoke cannot be controlled “At present the only means of effectively eliminating the health risks associated with indoor exposure is to ban smoking activity.” American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers

8. “Treatments” can make it worse • Separating smokers from non-smokers, using air cleaning technologies, or ventilating buildings does not eliminate SHS exposure • Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems can actually distribute SHS throughout a building

9. What we know about RENTERS • 77% of Metro renters, regardless of smoking status, prefer to live in smokefree housing • 46% would feel uncomfortable living next door to a smoker • 74% say it’s OK for landlords to ban smoking Results were similar across all income groups Portland-Vancouver metro renter survey conducted 2009 by Campbell DeLong Resources, Inc

10. What we know about RENTERS and SMOKING How many renters do you think smoke? Survey of Metro renters said: 23% (16% daily, 7% some days) How many renter households allow smoking inside? 82% do not allow smoking anywhere inside + 6% where smoking occurs rarely or never Most tenants don’t smoke, and over half of those who do already go outside.

11. Oregon and Washington Smokefree Laws • Almost every workplace and public place is smokefree in Oregon and Washington • This includes public and common areas and anywhere an employee must pass through in the course of their duties • Also no-smoking within 10 feet (OR) and 25 feet (WA) of any entrance, window or intake unit

12. Prohibiting smoking is legal… Smokers are not a protected class. Nonsmokers may be eligible for protection from SHS under Fair Housing laws. “Property owners and managers have every right to restrict smoking in and on their property.” Fair Housing Council of Oregon

13. New Oregon law for landlords • As of 1/1/10 landlords must disclose, as part of their rental agreement, whether or not smoking is: • Prohibited on the premises • Allowed on the entire premises • Allowed in limited areas on the premises • If smoking is allowed, the disclosure must state where it is allowed.

14. HUD Weighs In HUD strongly encourages public housing authorities and multifamily housing rental assistance programs to implement Non-Smoking policies for some or all of the units they own or manage. HUD Notice PIH-2009-21(HA) HUD Notice H-2010-21

15. National trends in public housing *This represents an increase of over 1,000% over the last 68 months.

16. Safe and healthy housing should not be a luxuryfor those who can afford it

17. Look familiar? Clean-up after a smoker; nicotine coats everything Portland Tribune photos

18. Safe & Healthy Housing for ALL • Safe & healthy housing is key to a person’s physical safety and well-being. • Homes should not pose a serious health hazard to the people who live there.

19. Safe & Healthy Housing for ALL • Residents in affordable housing have the least amount of choice and ability to move. • With long waits to get in, they are not likely to move out if they experience unwanted SHS at home.

20. Safe & Healthy Housing for ALL • People with low-incomes already have higher rates of chronic disease and disability. • Exposure to SHS and tobacco use make this worse.

21. How YOU can provide Safe & Healthy Housing A no-smoking policy is an easy and affordable way to: • Improve the indoor air quality of a building • Improve resident health

22. No-Smoking policy might include: • All buildings • Inside the units • Porches,patios and balconies • Outside areas (such as playgrounds & pools) • Parking areas

23. Communicating your policy • Make sure to use the words “non-smoking” or “smokefree” in your rental ads • Put the rule in writing - where smoking is and is not allowed - that it applies to guests too • Post adequate signage

25. A no-smoking rule doesn’t mean “no smokers”It just means NO-SMOKING

26. Enforcing your no-smoking rule Just like any other rule: • Residents can be your best allies • If a resident complains, document the facts and resolve the matter • Prompt consistent action will send a clear message • Lack of enforcement with one resident will make it difficult to enforce with others

27. Understanding TOBACCOAddiction

28. 3 out of 4 Oregon smokers say they want to quit Who is Ready to Quit?

29. Why Don’t They Just Quit? Chain of Addiction: • Biologically Addictive • Psychologically Addictive • Culturally Addictive Adapted from materials produced by the Tobacco Cessation Resource Center, Washington State Department of Health

30. Biological addiction to nicotine • Feeling of pleasure, decrease in anxiety • Lasting chemical changes in brain • Quitting produces withdrawal symptoms Adapted from materials produced by the Tobacco Cessation Resource Center, Washington State Department of Health

31. Psychological addiction to smoking • Triggered by other behaviors • Having drinks or coffee, driving, etc • Self-medication Adapted from materials produced by the Tobacco Cessation Resource Center, Washington State Department of Health

32. Cultural/Environmental link to nicotine addiction • Friends who smoke • Activities that involve smoking • Advertising • Movies • Places that still allow smoking Adapted from materials produced by the Tobacco Cessation Resource Center, Washington State Department of Health

33. What’s in a Cigarette?4000 chemicals, 50 carcinogens

34. Benefits of Quitting Source: The American Lung Association

35. The average person makes 2-3 serious quit attempts before finally quitting Adapted from materials produced by the Tobacco Cessation Resource Center, Washington State Department of Health

36. No-smoking rule supports cessation Cessation supports no-smoking rule • Moves people along quitting continuum • Prevents relapse • Creates supportive environment to stay quit • Makes rule easier to enforce • Creates supportive environment for no-smoking policy

37. One last thought A disgruntled resident from Housing Authority of Portland said (in a March 2009 Tribune article) “If you can’t afford to buy a condo or your own house, it’s going to be very difficult to smoke in your own home.”

38. Think of it this way You shouldn’t have to buy your own home to be protected from secondhand smoke.

39. For more information and tools, go to www.smokefreehousinginfo.com Oregon Smokefree Housing Project diane.laughter@ comcast.net Developed by Diane Laughter, MPH, of Health In Sight LLC This work is funded by the Tobacco Prevention & Education Program, Oregon Health Authority